This is a picture of one of the water turbines at the Grand Coulee Dam
Harnessing the Power of the River: by Owen Page
Important Vocabulary Terms [3]
Dam- The dam holds water in a reservoir. The dam draws in water from the reservoir, and uses it to create electricity
Hydropower- Mechanical energy derived from falling or flowing water e.g. rivers, streams and dam overflow Turbine - A machine for producing continuous power in which a wheel or rotor is made to revolve by a fast moving flow of water, gas, steam air, or other fluid
Intake- The water that is drawn into the dam's turbines via the intake pipes and used in the turbines to create electricity
Generator- This is the object that produces the electricity in a dam. By moving a copper wire into a magnetic field, the generator is able to produce electricity
Gravitational Potential Energy- The energy of an object due to it's position above a surface. The water behind the dam is full of this and this is converted to kinetic energy by the turbines.
Kinetic Energy- The energy of motion.
Advantages of Hydroelectric Dam Power[2]
-Once the dam has been bulit, there is no cost of producing the energy because the water will always be there
-There is no waste or pollution produced by a hydroelelectric dam -The water is always flowing so there is always power, making hydroelelectric dam power more consistent than other power types
-There is always water in the dam in case there is a need for more power
-Hydroelectric power stations can increase to full power very quickly, which is unlike other power stations
-Electricity is constantly generated through the power station
Disadvantages Of Hydroelectric Dam Power[2]
-Dams are very expensive to build and workers face danger when working in high-up places like canyons, but many dams are used for other purposes, so building costs are shared
-Building large dams floods upstream areas, causing a wildlife relocation problem
-There are not many places that can house dams, due to the enviroment and the impact on residents
-Water quantity and quality downstream can be affected, which could affect the plant life and animals
This is a video describing how hydroelectric dams in Ontario produce power for their province.
This is a video about Wyoming's thirteen dams and how they work. In 2005, these dams produced almost 800 million kilowatt-hours of energy, which is a lot more than the state of Wyoming may need.
This is a photo of the 17 main turbines within Hoover Dam. There are also two station service units within the dam. The combined electricity produced by these machines is between two and ten billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year.
How It Works[1]
The water in the reservoir enters the water intake and flows through the penstock pipes
Gravity causes the water to fall through the penstock
The water turns the turbine propeller at the end of the penstock
The shaft leads up to the generator, which produces power
Power lines that are connected to the generator carry the electricity to homes, schools, and other buildings
After going through the propeller, the water continues through the tailrace and into the river behind the dam
"Brazil grants environmental license for Belo Monte Dam"
This is an article about a controversial hydroelectric dam that is to be built in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a good example of some of the disadvantages of hydroelectric power.
Conservation of energy
In Step #1, the gravitational potential energy of the water is being transformed into the kinetic energy of the water.
In Step #3, the kinetic energy of the water is being transformed into the electrical energy of the generator.
Dam It!
This is a picture of one of the water turbines at the Grand Coulee Dam
Harnessing the Power of the River: by Owen Page
Important Vocabulary Terms [3]
Dam- The dam holds water in a reservoir. The dam draws in water from the reservoir, and uses it to create electricity
Hydropower- Mechanical energy derived from falling or flowing water e.g. rivers, streams and dam overflow Turbine - A machine for producing continuous power in which a wheel or rotor is made to revolve by a fast moving flow of water, gas, steam air, or other fluid
Intake- The water that is drawn into the dam's turbines via the intake pipes and used in the turbines to create electricity
Generator- This is the object that produces the electricity in a dam. By moving a copper wire into a magnetic field, the generator is able to produce electricity
Gravitational Potential Energy- The energy of an object due to it's position above a surface. The water behind the dam is full of this and this is converted to kinetic energy by the turbines.
Kinetic Energy- The energy of motion.
Advantages of Hydroelectric Dam Power[2]
-Once the dam has been bulit, there is no cost of producing the energy because the water will always be there
-There is no waste or pollution produced by a hydroelelectric dam -The water is always flowing so there is always power, making hydroelelectric dam power more consistent than other power types
-There is always water in the dam in case there is a need for more power
-Hydroelectric power stations can increase to full power very quickly, which is unlike other power stations
-Electricity is constantly generated through the power station
Disadvantages Of Hydroelectric Dam Power[2]
-Dams are very expensive to build and workers face danger when working in high-up places like canyons, but many dams are used for other purposes, so building costs are shared
-Building large dams floods upstream areas, causing a wildlife relocation problem
-There are not many places that can house dams, due to the enviroment and the impact on residents
-Water quantity and quality downstream can be affected, which could affect the plant life and animals
This is a video describing how hydroelectric dams in Ontario produce power for their province.
This is a video about Wyoming's thirteen dams and how they work. In 2005, these dams produced almost 800 million kilowatt-hours of energy, which is a lot more than the state of Wyoming may need.This is a photo of the 17 main turbines within Hoover Dam. There are also two station service units within the dam. The combined electricity produced by these machines is between two and ten billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year.
How It Works[1]
"Brazil grants environmental license for Belo Monte Dam"
This is an article about a controversial hydroelectric dam that is to be built in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a good example of some of the disadvantages of hydroelectric power.
Conservation of energy
In Step #1, the gravitational potential energy of the water is being transformed into the kinetic energy of the water.
In Step #3, the kinetic energy of the water is being transformed into the electrical energy of the generator.
Footnotes
Hydroelectric Power: How It Works. 29 Mar 2010. U.S Department of Interior. 10 Apr 2010 [1]
<http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/hyhowworks.html>
Darvill, Andy. Energy Sources: Hydroelectric Power. 11 Jan 2010. Darvill.Clara.net [2]
<http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/hydro.htm>
Graham, Ian. Energy Forever: Water Power. Raintree Steck-Vaughn. 1999[3]